ChristianBookPreviews

The Justice Game by Randy Singer is chiefly a book that examines the topic of gun control in relation to the Second Amendment. Several other topics, however, such as the importance of confession and family, arise throughout the book.

During a broadcast, an anchorwoman is murdered on the set by a criminal she exposed. Her widowed husband files a lawsuit against the company that manufactured the gun used in the murder when he learns that it was sold illegally. Two young lawyers, Jason Noble and Kelly Starling, take opposing sides on the case, but realize that the case is far more complicated, deep, and even personal than they couldve possibly expected.

The plot gets more complex and suspenseful with every chapter (there are ninety-five, including the epilogue, if that says anything). Flashbacks give insight into why the characters are the way they are, and subplots and side stories illuminate the main plot and explore other themes of Christian life, including that of Mercy triumphs over judgment(James 2:13). Singer creates a great story and keeps it going until the end. And he does it all without the annoying romance subplots that many suspense books have.

Singer is a real trial attorney, so he knows what hes talking about. He knows how the system works, how people act and talk, and the things that go on behind the scenes, which makes this book much more authentic and believable. He can write from both sides of the line and makes both of the opposing arguments seem completely true. All of the characters are unique and relatable, though flawed in some way. Through the two main characters, Noble and Starling, Singer repeats the question asked in Mark 8:36: What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or in other words, Whats the point of gaining fortune and fame by winning the case if you have to lie to yourself and everybody and give up on your morals?

Theres much more to the book than is possible to describe in a review, so I would encourage anyone to read Randy Singers The Justice Game. Personally, Im not a fan of the genre, but if all of Singers books are like this one, Im out to read his entire collection.  Matt Maine, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

Publisher's Weekly

Christy Awardwinning novelist and lawyer Singer (Directed Verdict) lets the action sprint out of the gate with a murder in the first few pages. With murderer and victim dead, the moral issue of gun control takes center stage in the book, with a number of side dilemmas. The opposing counsels in the gun control case are young, ambitious lawyers, and both have hidden sins that could sink their careers. A law firm that both worked for further complicates the action. Singer piles the moral and plot complexities a bit too high; the backstories of main characters Jason Noble and Kelly Starling are relevant, but the tangled relationship between Jason and his cop father bogs down the action. The legal-thriller genre lends itself to the pattern of conversion that evangelical Christian novels require, and Singer offers logical character developments that aren't heavy-handed. The only stock feature in this well-plotted novel is the generic, fakey-sounding names (Brad Carson, Kelly Starling). But that's a quibble about a book that will entertain readers and make them thinkwhat more can one ask? (July) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

To some people in today's world, the legal system is a game. Greed is the idea behind the game in Randy Singer's story. After a horrific shooting, leaving a woman and her unborn child dead, the husband decides to sue the gun manufacturer, sighting neglect on their part to monitor gun dealers.

The two lawyers that go head to head in this case, have their own struggles. Those struggles are not made any easier when an unknown source begins blackmailing them into doing what he wants, which is not to settle this case. Kelly Starling thought no one knew her secret and Jason Noble thought his secret was safe with only a couple people who he trust.

Both Kelly and Jason have choices to make. Do they do what's best for their clients? Or do they do what's best for themselves? The careers of the lawyers and millions of dollars are at stake and someone is bound to lose.

If you like crime/law suspense novels, you will probably enjoy this one

If you enjoy courtroom drama, but hate the language and garbage of secular writers, you will enjoy The Justice Game! I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot is intriguing, the ending is surprising. It covers a hot topic about gun control without really taking sides -in the courtroom arguments both "sides" get to prove their point, allowing the reader to maybe understand each side respectively. Overall, this book is not an issue book, just great suspenseful fiction. My husband and I both enjoyed it, which is hard to find with most Christian fiction.

This book gives a thoughtful portrayal of the issue of guns in our nation. Courtroom drama runs high as a gun manufacturer is defended for selling weapons that might fall into the hands of criminals through straw purchases. Stakes are high on both sides with this hot potato case. Different angles are presented so that each side seems to have the winning strategy. The complicating factor is that a blackmailer has information to crush each of the lawyers because of their past sins. So will the lawyers do the right thing? And if they do, to what length will the blackmailer go to set things to go his way? You will want to read this legal thriller to find out who the blackmailer is and what happens to the lawyers and most of all what the verdict is. The book has Christian themes but is not heavy on Christian parlance.

This book was absolutely FANTASTIC!!! It it well written, and I was surprised at how unbiased it was. I have my own beliefs about guns / gun control, but I felt myself 'routing' for both sides...very compelling. It was difficult to put the book down!

About the eBook, maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I already spend my work days in front of a computer, and I did NOT like having to sit in front of the computer, so I ordered the real book from the library.